PSCU Names KnockOut Winners

A switch kit that would allow consumers to easily move banking relationships to a credit union was the winner of KnockOut 2013, PSCU’s second-annual idea generation event, the company said Monday,

The 24-hour event in late September pitted teams of PSCU staff and participants from four member credit unions at the CUSO’s St. Petersburg, Fla., headquarters.

After a marathon session of developing their ideas, the 19 teams made their presentations to the judges from Visa, MasterCard Labs, Filene Research Institute, PSCU and four member-owner credit unions, followed by a period of voting by PSCU and credit union employees, the company said.

A team from the $1.6 billion GTE Financial in Tampa came up with the switch kit, while other finalist ideas were an application that lets cardholders remove blocks on their accounts while traveling internationally, one that permits cardholders to remotely identify suspect transactions as fraudulent or legitimate when notified by PSCU, and a fourth that lets consumers create a “dream cart” of potential future purchases and then apply for credit union financing.

PSCU said ideas from the four finalists will be sent to its product development process for further refinement and preparation for launch into the market.